What's new

Advice on Visiting Japan

What did you do with your luggage? Locker at the station?
the day I did this, I went to the airport (narita airport) and found a badges service that hold luggage's for a fee. they ask me a few question and told me how much it would cost when I return to pick it up. it cost me like 10,000 yen.
 
¥10k...? It might have been cheaper to ship it there--you'd've gained a day at least.

Or you could have gotten a business hotel, been in a bed after a shower, and probably with breakfast buffet included.
 
Touring cyclists may more or less often do a simple bivouac, but they are prepped for that and traveling light besides. Also, it's usually in smaller towns or outside of those, and not central in major cities. The idea is to set up late (after dark) and leave early, leave no trace, and avoid actual parks.
 
the day I did this, I went to the airport (narita airport) and found a badges service that hold luggage's for a fee. they ask me a few question and told me how much it would cost when I return to pick it up. it cost me like 10,000 yen.

For this money you could have rented a hotel room just for your suitcase, sleep in the park, take a shower in your suitcase's hotel room, and still have money left for a nice breakfast😄
 
For this money you could have rented a hotel room just for your suitcase, sleep in the park, take a shower in your suitcase's hotel room, and still have money left for a nice breakfast😄
I think he's off by a factor of 10. I'd expect overnight baggage service to be about Y1000. BTW for those who don't know, it's common & convenient to send luggage to the airport directly from your home/hotel using a delivery service (takyuubin). It's relatively inexpensive and can be a lifesaver (like when you have young kids, strollers, and a lot of excess luggage due to a wife who bought loads of crap to take out of the country).
 
I think he's off by a factor of 10. I'd expect overnight baggage service to be about Y1000. BTW for those who don't know, it's common & convenient to send luggage to the airport directly from your home/hotel using a delivery service (takyuubin). It's relatively inexpensive and can be a lifesaver (like when you have young kids, strollers, and a lot of excess luggage due to a wife who bought loads of crap to take out of the country).

Works just as fine and is just as liberating for sending your bags from the airport. Also a popular method for transporting golf clubs to courses and skis to resorts.
 
I think he's off by a factor of 10. I'd expect overnight baggage service to be about Y1000. BTW for those who don't know, it's common & convenient to send luggage to the airport directly from your home/hotel using a delivery service (takyuubin). It's relatively inexpensive and can be a lifesaver (like when you have young kids, strollers, and a lot of excess luggage due to a wife who bought loads of crap to take out of the country).

I had a feeling he was off by a factor of 10 just because of the difference on what I would expect such a service to cost in the US and what he stated it costed there in Japan. I thought maybe space really is that valued in Japan since I had never been there. With current rates though that would put it at about $82.18 USD at the current rate compared to $8.22 USD if he did include one too many 0's.
 
I had a feeling he was off by a factor of 10 just because of the difference on what I would expect such a service to cost in the US and what he stated it costed there in Japan. I thought maybe space really is that valued in Japan since I had never been there. With current rates though that would put it at about $82.18 USD at the current rate compared to $8.22 USD if he did include one too many 0's.
Actually, surprisingly, storage is not incredibly expensive. I'm looking into temporary storage options and didn't get the sticker shock I expected. Here's a place I'm looking at using for some things I need to put away for a few months: シーズン用品保管|トランクルーム、貸し倉庫のプライベートBOX

Looks to me, unless I'm reading it wrong, to be about 3,500¥ per month. Not bad at all for a bit of space, really.

I figure I'll use Kuroneko for airport to apartment luggage delivery unless someone recommends a different company.
 
Two quick comments:
a) Nagoya is under rated
b) Many AirBNB places are not legal in Japan meaning if anything goes wrong, you have no insurance.
 
Two quick comments:
a) Nagoya is under rated
b) Many AirBNB places are not legal in Japan meaning if anything goes wrong, you have no insurance.

As a traveler I think that would be up to the person's health and/or travel insurance arranged in his own country.
 
As a traveler I think that would be up to the person's health and/or travel insurance arranged in his own country.
Yes, I quite agree, but many insurance policies do not cover illegal activities. If even one person actually checks their insurance and prevents a problem, then that is a good outcome. My comment was specifically related to possible claims arising from problems with the accommodation, not the wider coverage for things like health, flights, lost items etc.
 
Yes, I quite agree, but many insurance policies do not cover illegal activities. If even one person actually checks their insurance and prevents a problem, then that is a good outcome. My comment was specifically related to possible claims arising from problems with the accommodation, not the wider coverage for things like health, flights, lost items etc.

Now you're speaking as though you are offering personal conjecture. Personal conjecture is fine as long as it is recognizable as such.

Earlier you wrote:

b) Many AirBNB places are not legal in Japan meaning if anything goes wrong, you have no insurance.

That is worded as a categorical statement of fact. Readers naturally infer that you have direct knowledge of incidents where insurance claims were refused or that you can provide citations or something to support your statement.

I have my doubts about insurance companies denying a claim based on sleeping somewhere being characterized as "illegal activities". But I'm open to learning otherwise. Do you indeed know of any specific instances? Are guests at AirBnB subject to arrest or any sort of legal sanctions that you are aware of? Or are you merely speculating?
 
Actually, no, it is not a personal conjecture - It is a subject that I am interested in and bothered to do some research on rather than simply make something up (which I have seen people do frequently when commenting of stuff they know nothing about).
There are some interesting reports on different aspects of the law locally in Japan as it applies to hotels and AirBNB specifically. My prior experience with insurance (commercial and personal) is that the terms and conditions are usually quite explicit about what they will and will not cover. I made a specific inquiry with the insurance company that I use to see if they had an opinion or definitive policy or approach where someone knowingly uses a service provided illegally and what would happen if someone needed to make a claim because of that. Irrespective, if travellers raise their own awareness of what their insurance will or will not cover, then that is a positive outcome.If my raising this as an issue is not considered relevant, then people are similarly entitled to ignore my comments/advice/observations.

(back to travelling around Japan - I have to change trains)
 
If my raising this as an issue is not considered relevant, then people are similarly entitled to ignore my comments/advice/observations.
Definitely a relevant point that most people wouldn't even consider as a risk. Something to consider.
 
I made a specific inquiry with the insurance company that I use to see if they had an opinion or definitive policy or approach where someone knowingly uses a service provided illegally and what would happen if someone needed to make a claim because of that

And what did they say?

There are some interesting reports on different aspects of the law locally in Japan as it applies to hotels and AirBNB specifically.

Could you share with us what those laws are and whether the guests are liable to criminal sanction for staying there?

Airbnb: is it covered by your travel insurance?

Does travel insurance cover airbnb?

Is Airbnb covered by your travel insurance? | finder.com.au

The only thing I can easily find to the contrary comes from....well....you.

Airbnb in Japan - Japan Forum - TripAdvisor

and hardly seems clear or definitive.

Did your research into this consist of more than a single ten minute phone call a couple of weeks ago to a place which gave you an unclear reply?
 
Last edited:
There are legal issues in many countries with AirBNB which center around whether the host is allowed to have short-term paid visitors (e.g. if basically subletting) and also issues like hotel tax:
Airbnb's legal troubles: what are the issues? | Travel | The Guardian

These are unlikely to impact individual travellers; hosts may fall foul of local rules (Japan Property Central » Briton arrested for running illegal lodgings in Tokyo ) but the customer is then the victim, not equally responsible as the guy who advertised the accommodation. You can't expect the customer to know all the in and outs of local property law so claiming someone who stayed there was 'knowingly' using an illicit service is a bit odd - they're renting a room, not trying to buy drugs.
 
I didn't even think of something like this being an issue. Thanks for bringing it to my attention and to those that provided helpful links on the issue.
 
If you want to save money, also consider hostels. As for timing, avoid early May due to Golden Week crunch on transportation and lodging.
 
Back
Top Bottom